


Eight Monster Filled Nights

by sparrowhaven



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Although some hebrew related stuff is definitely gendered sorry, Gen, Hanukkah, Humor, I'll try to be as gender-ambiguous as possible, Multi, Nonverbal Frisk, Reader is very Jewish, magic also plays a role here, sarcasm up the wazoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-06 07:30:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5408222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparrowhaven/pseuds/sparrowhaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You got invited to Frisk's Christmas party, which so happens to coincide with the first night of Hanukkah this year. </p><p>You foolishly didn't check to see what the weather was going to be like.</p><p>Now you're trapped in a big house full of monsters and you have a number of secrets you would like to keep hidden. Too bad there's not much for anyone else to do other than snoop around and bug you about your weird traditions and habits.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome one and all to the first fanfic I've written since I was 17. ~~I think I know what I'm doing.~~
> 
> Now we all know that Christmas is kinda a big deal in Undertale, but I wanted to indulge myself and make the most Jewish fic I could think of. There's no way I'm gonna finish this by the time Hanukkah's over THIS year but hey at least chapter one's out in the middle of it?
> 
> Due to the nature of the Reader being a somewhat religious Jew and fluent in Yiddish, I'm gonna translate and spell out how to pronounce Hebrew and Yiddish words and phrases at the end of each chapter. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Of course this was going to happen on the day when your car was in the shop. You had been minding your own business walking home when you’d spotted them. Some jerkoff kids surrounded someone that’s clearly much smaller than them. Said kid was also terrified. You swore you could hear them crying and that was plenty enough reason to try to act like an adult and go break it up. 

That was minutes ago. You are now faced against several really tough looking teenagers that are not happy that you stepped in between them and whatever they’d had planned for this small monster child. Because that’s what they are: a nearly shapeless blob barely as tall as your knee and clinging to you because they think you can help them. You’re really not sure if you can help yourself if you’re being honest.

“What do you think you’re doing, monster lover?” You’ve just barely left your own teenage ‘I’m gonna talk only if other people do it first’ phase, so you realize that the teen that’s talking must be the leader. Or at least he’s trying to act tougher than the others. The fact that they haven’t already done anything to you yet gives you a bit of hope. Maybe there’s a way to solve this non-violently. 

Just as you’re about to say something that you hope sounds witty, one of the other teens notices something that you’ve forgotten was fairly obvious. “Hey! Monster lover’s also a fuckin’ JEW.” You sigh inwardly. You love wearing your kippah (one of many, in different colors and styles and designs on each one of them) when you visit your parents, but the part of the city where you live in has a distinct…distaste for anything different. Normally you’d take the head covering off as soon as you get in the car in order to avoid potential hassle. Funny noises coming from the hood only a couple of minutes into the drive prevented you from doing that. At least you know that old fashioned discrimination is still around to stick with the new kind. 

The more things change…most humans in the city had accepted their new monster neighbors in the past year or so, though maybe not so far as to outright embrace them. That isn’t to say that there weren’t ANY tensions between the races but with a 12-year-old kinda-sorta official ambassador and an incredibly kind and friendly populace, it was easy to forget that some humans are just downright assholes. And racists. And other names that you really can’t say in front of the small wobbling child. 

You decide to unload your arsenal of sarcasm and pray that no one notices you reaching inside your messenger bag. “Geez you guys sure are good at picking out the obvious, huh? Can I play too?” You make a show of putting your free hand to your face thoughtfully, and grasp something very familiar with your other hand. Just so you’re clear with yourself: playing the hero isn’t really your thing. You KNOW it’s not your thing. You’ve tried it multiple times with mixed results. But you know what happens when a monster gets hurt enough and you have enough guilt in your life without someone’s death on top of all that. That’s what you tell yourself as you try to play the hero.

You drop the thing you took out of your bag just behind you. What feels like static electricity sparks in your fingers and courses through you. The thrill of the charge brings an unusual bravado to your voice. “You’re all racists because you’re too afraid of what you don’t understand, you smell and none of you know who your real dads are. Does that sound about right?” You give them a moment to react, letting the power fill you up just a moment longer. One of them pulls out a switchblade. Who does that outside of a movie, honestly? Before they can attack, you finally open your mouth and expel the magic in a word you know none of them will understand. 

The sudden presence of the giant clay man-shaped being behind you and the look on the teens’ faces fills you with glee. Your own face is about to split in half with how wide you’re grinning. It’ll be worth the major guilt trip later. They’re halfway down the block in terror when you tell Emmett that he did a good job. He doesn’t respond, like usual.

It takes you much too long to realize that the slime monster has now engulfed your lower leg. You’re not sure when they started doing that, but you don’t doubt that they’re reacting to your “friend.” It might have something to do with the fact that your leg feels like it’s fallen asleep where the slime is currently covering it. You’ve felt magic other than your own before, but this is the first time you’ve ever come into contact with monster magic. It’s more intense than you had expected.

Thinking fast, you kneel down on the uncovered knee and gently pat the top of the slime. “Hey it’s alright. Emmett’s harmless, he wouldn’t hurt a fly.” At least you catch yourself before you mention that he would only hurt a fly if you told him to do it. “He just grew to scare off those awful kids. You’re fine.” You can’t tell if the slime is looking at you, but the pins-and-needles feeling becomes slightly less intense. “Tell you what, I’ll make him go back to his regular size. Then you can go on your way and I’ll make sure that those shmucks–I mean, teens don’t follow you. Sound like a plan?” You’re fairly certain that the teens aren’t going to go near the area anytime soon, but you really want to make sure that the slime (you’re suddenly less sure about whether or not the monster is a child now that they’ve been attached to your leg for at least a couple of minutes) gets on its way sooner rather than later. If at all possible it’d be nice to keep the potential callouts about your magic use down to a minimum now that you’ve gone and did something this stupidly brave. 

You don’t even wait for the slime to reply (if they even could) before turning your attention to Emmett. “Okay you can go back to normal now.” The Yiddish rolls off your tongue with ease. If anyone was around that could understand you, they might get some second hand embarrassment about how casual your “magic words” actually were. For god’s sake, the word you shouted at the teens was merely “grow” in Yiddish! You feel the familiar static charge of Emmett’s latent magic next to you as he shrinks back into his much more portable mode. It’s only when he’s finished doing so that the slime detaches from your leg and quickly slithers off. At least you’re used to doing things thanklessly. 

With a sigh, you reach over and grab Emmett’s now action figure sized body. It’s when you’ve put him back in your messenger bag where he belongs that you notice a human child staring at you from the sidewalk. You really need to start paying more attention to your surroundings. They could have shown up at any time during your reckless display of magic. Mom is going to have harsh words with you if she ever finds out. And then she’ll kill you. In the meantime you can’t decide if you should flee or ask about what they actually saw. 

You’re surprised when the child takes a notebook and pencil out of their pocket and writes out a question. _Do you want to get lunch?_ Your eyes move from the notebook to the kid’s face several times. They seem to be serious. As much as you don’t want to be a creep (and that your previous good mood has finally given way to much more familiar emotions like paranoia), saying no doesn’t really seem to be an option to them from the intense way they’re looking at you. You stall anyway. 

“Uh, don’t your parents know you’re out here by yourself, kid?” They nod and flip to a page they’ve previously written. 

_I’m being looked after, I promise._ Oh great, MORE potentially unseen witnesses. You really blew it THIS time. The kid flips back to a blank page and scribbles something else. _I didn’t see much, only that doll of yours shrinking and the moldsmal fleeing. If he saw anything, he probably didn’t see much more than I did._ They flip to their previous question, and for emphasis they write and underline “please” on the page. Questions and concerns float around in your brain while you seriously, SERIOUSLY consider this. 

You come to the conclusion that you’re gonna die anyway, you might as well do it on your own terms. “…two things. One, if I end up getting murdered by your parents I’m blaming you. Two, I reserve the right to skip questions I don’t wanna answer.” The kid beams at you adorably. You introduce yourself to the kid properly, and ask for their name.

_It’s Frisk. Nice to meet you._

The name is familiar but you don’t realize why until it’s much too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Translations:**  
>  Kippah (Key-pah): A cloth head covering. Also known as a skullcap or a yarmulka (ya-mul-kah), they often cover some of the top and back of the head, though some styles cover the top of the wearer's head. It is most often worn by men in a synagogue or other religious context, but women can choose to wear them as well. (This isn't very common, but Reader just enjoys wearing them because they look cute.)
> 
> Shmuck: An insult that vaguely means asshole.
> 
>  **Other notes:** You'll find out what Emmett is later. :) But I'd like to see if you guys can guess what he is.


	2. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Necessary information and a first meeting.

That lunch is the first of many, spread out over the next couple of months. In the beginning you think you're being really creepy because come on, you're at least ten years older than them and you keep getting convinced to go to a late lunch or early dinner with this kid about once a week. Without any parental guidance that you notice (which, if you're being honest with yourself, you're bad at observation while being distracted as it is). Also Frisk has your phone number and has been calling your meetings "dates" ever since they made you choke on your coffee by writing pick up lines during your second lunch together (you'd retorted by giving even cheesier jokes that they always giggle at, even if you repeat yourself). 

It's after about the fifth "date" and a couple hundred back-and-forth texts that you realize you genuinely enjoy talking to them. It's not the same as talking with any of your friends or family. With everyone else there's always some drama going on that you either don’t care about or don't want to get involved with. Then you feel guilty about not caring and try to make it up by getting over-involved and that never ends well. Frisk hardly ever talks--well, writes--about their own life unless it involves their charmingly odd collection of family. Most of the time they joke around with you or ask you tons of questions focused around your life. Those tend to be mixed in with a few questions about how to deal with their own life that you're never really sure you're qualified to answer. Luckily you both utilize the skip you set up for your first "date" whenever either of you don't want to say anything about a subject and the topics of actual conversation rarely get awkward. It's nice.

That is, until you start thinking too hard about how one of your most currently meaningful friendships is with a _12-year-old_. One that you've only known for a VERY short while. Emmett is one thing, he's been your protector literally since you were a baby. Frisk? They're a whole different ballgame. You're lucky that the kid seems to be able to tell when you're feeling down and can defuse your volatile thoughts with a quick joke or two. At times it almost feels like they're a lost-lost cousin of yours. Yeah, that's exactly how it is now that you're thinking about it.

You find out that you've been spacing out again by your mother repeating your name for the 8th time (or so you estimate by the tone of her voice over the phone). "I'm here, sorry. I was thinking about what you told me the other day about making bread. I still burn mine sometimes." 

"Better burnt bread than a burnt house." You don't even know if your mom actually has heard her so-called wisdoms from other sources and frankly you'd rather not know. "But that doesn't mean you can just ignore me when YOU were the one that called me, bubeleh." Oh right. That. "What's going on?" 

"Right. Uh. I wanted to call earlier but I was working and…well to make a long story short, I can't be over for Hanukkah tonight."

You already have the phone away from your face the moment your mom's voice screeches clearly through the speaker. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE HERE TONIGHT?!" You set the call to speaker phone so that you can save your poor eardrums from being permanently damaged by her volume. 

"I got invited to a holiday party just a couple days ago, mom. You know that new friend I told you about a while ago? They were insistent I go. I just couldn't say no to their puppy dog face." You're only half lying. Certainly Frisk pulled the cutest puppy dog face you'd ever seen when they invited you, but that had happened weeks ago. Really you had saved the call for now so that you could deal with her concentrated outrage instead of the more spread out, passive-aggressive kind. 

You tune out your mother's kvetching about how bad your timing is for the moment. It's not like you REALLY want to piss her off or disappoint whatever number of family members were going to show up at your parents' house this year. You just didn't want to deal with the usual family or holiday related bullshit. In fact, if it weren't for Frisk's wheedling a promise out of you to show up at this party of theirs (how a kid that you've never heard speak can do that, you're not sure you wanna know), you would've made a similar excuse to your mom in order to stay at home for the night. There are PLENTY of things you could be doing instead of anything holiday-related. Like reading. Or mucking about on the internet. Or nit picking at the rest of Frisk's present, which you're still not sure you should give them. 

A loud thump that you recognize as clay against tile snaps you back to the present and the mostly one-sided conversation you're having with your mother. "What was that?"

"I think that's Elijah. I still haven't managed to teach him to not get water on his hands so often. You're on speaker phone, keep going." It's not like you were paying any attention in the first place, but you'd like to hope that your mom appreciates your trying. Entering the kitchen confirms your suspicion. Elijah's angular face stares at you while you retrieve his hand from the floor and you thank god that he hadn't been holding anything breakable in it this time. You place the phone on one of the few unoccupied flat surfaces before you match the missing limb to where it's supposed to be. The magic within him is less intense than Emmett's, but you can feel your hair raise a little while you manually reform the golem's wrist. You can't help but sneak in a little of your own magic, infusing the wrist with sturdiness and what you hope will turn out to be better water proofing. It's always harder to tell what effect your magic has on something you can't see and that doesn't directly affect you. As it stands with Elijah here, you probably should make another helper golem but it's not worth the time and effort setting up the rituals to do so. He goes back to making jelly donuts as soon as you're done with him.

During all of this, your mother's chatter is now both in Yiddish and on the topic of golems. "That reminds me, could you come over sometime and see how my Malka is doing? I had some of the little cousins over and one of them touched Malka's forehead and the poor thing shuddered something fierce, but the aleph wasn't erased. Scared the poor boy nearly to death, though. She works just as hard as before, but you know how I worry." You can't help but shiver a little. Your cousin might not have gotten hurt if he HAD erased the letter, but finding yourself falling into a puddle of fresh clay when you had been previously held by a solid sturdy figure would be traumatizing.

You remind yourself to talk to the cousin (you need to remember to ask your mom about which one she meant later) about golems, starting with the basics: they're made of river clay; can grow or shrink to get tasks done; are soulless; and most importantly, all golems had the Hebrew letters aleph, mem and tav written on their foreheads. Together they made the word _emet_ , meaning "truth." Erasing the aleph at the start of the word changes it to _met_ , meaning "death" and will immediately and permanently kill a golem. 

In your family in particular, a golem is created and designated as a protector to any new children that are born. That golem becomes something akin to a very diligent babysitter for the first few years of the child's life, and does not get named until the child is old enough to pick one. The golem then acts as a proper protector so long as their charge is alive and the word on their head is intact. You'd named your protector Emmett. Your family thought that it was a bit on the nose but you didn’t care. His name was already written on his face, you reasoned. Why does he need a different one? Everyone else accepted it, but your mom still brings up the subject up to this day. It's either that or talking to you about making a new protector for yourself.

Oh look that's what she's talking about right now as you retrieve your phone. "Now, I know that you're already getting a golem ready for when Diana has her baby but I was THINKING about how poor Emmett is so old and worn down, maybe you should--"

"Mom I'm not replacing Emmett." You try to keep your voice as level as you can so that you can avoid this argument again. Changing the subject also tends to help. "Have you talked to Bubbe about finding Zayde's old notes yet? I know I can make a new protector but I wanna make sure everything's perfect." Listening to your mother's chatter some more, you return to the couch and flop into your seat. 

Obviously not everyone goes on to learn how to make more golems themselves, but a combination of circumstances and your own interest made it so that you had to. These creatures have secretly assisted your family for a very, very long time. Even if no one believes that golems exist (or more accurately, are ignorant on the subject) it's still very necessary to maintain the traditions and keep the clay people a secret. You wince as you think back to when you first met Frisk. Thanks to your skips you have successfully avoided telling them anything about the true nature of Emmett, but you still worry sometimes. Speaking of which, he joins you on the couch as soon as you motion him over. He grows to be the appropriate height for leaning on and you gladly take advantage of it. Golems can also make for really good friends too, in your humble opinion.

Eventually your mom's conversation rolls around to why you called her in the first place, worrying over every little detail for you. She's still speaking in Yiddish, but you haven't bothered switching back to English either. "If you're not going to be home, at least take a menorah and candles with you. And extra clothes in case you need to stay there! Have you even checked the weather? It's noon and it's already dark out here! They say it's not going to be a blizzard but I can feel something really big brewing." Mom's feelings have a 50/50 chance of just being paranoia. You decide to keep a casual tone.

"Mom I'll be fine, the storm's probably going to _pesach_ the area." You grin at your terrible pun. Underneath your back you can barely feel Emmett silently snorting. There's silence on the other end for a moment. Well at least someone other than you likes really stupid jokes. "Seriously, though, it's just going to be for one night. The candles can be lit later."

"Emmett," You blink, wondering why your mom is addressing your golem. "Make absolutely certain that my foolish child takes a hanukiah, shabbat candle holders and candles for Hanukkah AND Shabbat with them to this party of theirs." Wait a minute she's speaking in Yiddish through the speaker phone and talking to Emmett directly, that means--"That's an order." You swear aloud as Emmett moves to obey, forcing you to move before you fall over. "You owe a dollar to the jar, bubeleh." Sadly your phone is the only thing that can be glared at, but glare you do. "I've told you time and time again, you should replace him with a new protector golem. You're not a child anymore." You don't give her an answer. You don't care that you can't change the fact that he has to obey your mom and dad's orders, you're not going to get rid of Emmett.

"I should be getting ready for the party, mom." The party isn't for hours yet, but you really want to end this conversation. It occurs to you in this moment that you could get into Frisk's mom's good graces if you volunteered to help set things up. "Bye, mom. Love you." You barely let her say 'I love you too' before you hang up.

~~~~~

You arrive at the building an hour and a half later, donuts and duffle bag in tow. After texting Frisk to let them know that you'd arrived, you do your best to balance the heavy bag on a hip and the delicate pastries in your arms. Emmett had refused to let you leave with a smaller bag and thus violate your mom's spoken order. You had just grumbled and added necessities that you were sure you weren't going to need in addition to the candle holders and appropriate candles that had already made their way inside. Emmett himself is also tucked away in there. Mom's right though, the sky is so overcast that it's practically night already. The snow flurries were annoying to drive through, but at least you made it before it got TOO bad. At least the idea of spending the night in a rented out hotel was nice. Even if you're not really sure where Frisk's parents could have gotten the money to do so. The kid never dressed like they were from a rich family, maybe their parents saved up their money along with other families in order to make this party happen? 

Before you think too hard about it, Frisk is there at the doors to help you in and greet you with a huge smile. You smile back and try to show off the boxes of jelly donuts without spilling any. You'd been told to make a lot, so you did. Well. Elijah did. But you made Elijah and taught him how to cook so it counts...right? "I told you I'd make them. Where do I put them?" The kid dashes ahead of you, leading the way to the hotel's kitchen. You'd been told that their family had let the entire hotel staff go home for the holidays, instead taking on the responsibility of serving the food and taking care of any messes themselves. At the time you'd casually questioned Frisk about how an apparently huge party was going to be served instead, but they invoked a skip and you had dropped the subject. 

When you both get inside the kitchen, the feel of fire magic hits you before the baking smell does. It sends a shiver up your spine, ironically. Who uses magic so openly? Didn’t they realize that just anyone could–

“Oh! Frisk is that you?” A motherly voice calls out from other end of the kitchen and you can't help but stare at the giant white goat monster as she approaches you. She (that had to be right. You've seen the other one, the ex king, on TV before and he's taller and wider than this one but your mind is too scrambled to process any information properly) gives a start as she looks you over. “Is this the human you invited?” Frisk nods enthusiastically.

You're dead. You’re so very dead. You're still standing but you can feel your imminent death approaching. Even if the monsters don’t kill you the minute they realize what you are and that you have your freaking GOLEM tucked away inside your duffle bag, your mother certainly will finish the job once she finds out. You can hear her voice in your head so clearly that you completely miss what else the lady monster is saying.

“I TOLD you it was too dangerous to bring that old thing with you everywhere; You’re not a child anymore, you didn’t need him and now look what happened; Oh God grant me strength, if you die I’m going to kill you.” A few other mom phrases float around in your head before a gentle pat on your shoulder breaks you out of your stupor. Even that small moment of physical contact sends an unfamiliar warmth through your body coming from where she put her hand. That had to be her magic at work. Great. She's really powerful. She's going to find out that you can use magic EASILY. 

"Are you alright, dear?" She sounds concerned about you. You find it sweet even though you know you're going to die.

"S-sorry, uh, ma'am. The drive was p-pretty long and it's nice to be in the warm, y'know? Totally spaced out." Well that's at least part of the truth. "Wh-what's your name again?"

"I am Toriel." She smiles sweetly. "Would you like some tea? You look like you need it." 

God help you, you need a chance to sit and think. "That sounds great, Miss Toriel." The goat monster chuckles politely.

"Just Toriel will do for a friend of Frisk." You glance over at the child in question. They're beaming like this was exactly what they wanted to happen. Your stomach drops to your feet when it clicks. Of course you'd recognized Frisk's name when you two first met: you see it on TV every time the news talks about monster/human negotiations. Legally the news can't show their face until they're a little older, which is why you didn't recognize the kid themself when you first saw them. "They have been eagerly awaiting your arrival, and for your apparently famous...what are they called?" 

"Sufganiyot." You answer automatically, and then backpedal into English. "Er, I mean jelly donuts. That's, uh, the same thing ahah. F-figure they didn't know how to spell the word, it's ah, Hebrew." You nervously look for a spot to place your boxes, only for them to be gently removed from your arms. 

"That explains it, then. I'll take care of these, dear." Frisk takes your hand and pulls you to one of the kitchen islands. Protesting doesn't seem like something you can do right now, even if you wanted to. You take off your duffle bag and set it on the ground before taking a seat on one of the stools that are next to the island. It seems like mere moments have passed before a piping hot mug of tea is set in your shaking hands. Drinking the liquid perhaps a bit too quickly, you can almost taste the fire magic that had been used to heat it up. What you CAN taste, is actually really good though. The warmth and the flavor relaxes you a little. Even if you're most definitely doomed, at least you'll have something to enjoy before you die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Translations**  
>  Bubeleh (boo-beh-leh): Darling, honey, sweetie, an endearing term that you can say to anyone you like regardless of age.  
> Kvetch (sounds like it's spelled oddly enough): Complain. Used in the same way as bitching about something.  
> Bubbe (Buh-bee): Grandmother  
> Zayde (Zay-dee): Grandfather  
> Pesach (pey-sach(say the ch like you're clearing your throat a little bit)): Hebrew word for passover. Reader told a really bad joke.  
> Hanukiah (han-oo-key-ah): While a menorah just refers to a candle holder in general (there's two kinds, one with 7 branches for every day of the week and this one) a hanukiah specifically means the 9 branched candle holder with one that's at a different height than the others. There are a lot of different designs, I picked a more general version.  
> Shabbat (Sha-baht): The sabbath, which for Jews runs from sunset Friday night to sunset Saturday night.  
> Sufganiyot (Soof-gah-nee-oht): Plural of sufganiyah (soof-gah-nee-ah), aka a jelly donut with powdered sugar on top, traditionally eaten at Hanukkah to remember the miracle of the temple oil. 
> 
> **Additional notes:**  
>  I really don't have a schedule in mind for these chapters, I've just been writing by the seat of my pants this whole time. Thankfully this story is just as fun to write as I hope it is for you guys to read. 
> 
> Also, sorry if this chapter seems a bit too long or info-dumpy but I needed to get some of my ideas for how golems work out here so that they can be explored some more later. At least we got to see a main monster? :D We'll certainly get more now that the ball's started rolling.
> 
> If you guys have any really great/bad and inoffensive Jewish jokes, I have a tumblr ( sparrowhaven.tumblr.com ) you can send them to. I won't guarantee that I'll use them, but...well now you know what kind of caliber you're going to get if you expect me to make up my own Jewish jokes the whole time. (yes I made up that pesach joke, it's so bad)


	3. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to meet some monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, guys! Life and being internetless got in the way of things. I'm still writing, though, don't worry!

It takes a couple more cups of tea for you to calm down enough to remember your manners. You showed up this early for MORE than just getting away from talking to your mom, right? The angel of death might be hanging over you, but you should at least try to make a better first impression. 

"So is there anything I can help you with mi--I mean Toriel? Like, with cooking or decorating or something?" 

She hums a little as she takes a peek into the oven. The smell coming from within makes your mouth water. "I'm afraid I'm nearly finished with making my own desserts. Dinner itself will be made and served by others as soon as they arrive. Thank you for the offer." Toriel closes the oven door when she finishes inspecting its contents. "Although…perhaps you can assist in decorating the ballroom?" Frisk, who had been drinking tea alongside you this whole time, immediately lights up. They make some gestures that you vaguely recognize as sign language, but can't understand. Whatever they "said" gets Toriel to give a warm smile. "Yes, and you can be introduced to the rest of our family."

You try to keep your face neutral as you remember Frisk trying to explain their family situation. They'd said nothing about their birth parents and you weren't about to ask about it but their massive adopted family fascinated you. 

"So let me get this straight: You have a mom, two dads but one acts like a combination of a dad and an uncle, two aunts who are dating each other, an uncle that's like a brother to you and an uncle that's more like a very affectionate cousin." At the time, you were tempted to buy your OWN notebook to keep track of all of that. In hindsight you should've been suspicious of their occasional mentions of a ghost buddy and a flower for a best friend. You'd put those two down for a 12-year-old's active imagination.

 _That's pretty much it._ They'd seemed nervous about telling you about their family, but you had given them a smile that seemed to help them feel better.

"And I thought my family could get confusing." You had launched into your own explanation about how old family friends became entirely family as time went on and how you called a number of people your parents' ages "aunt" and "uncle" even though they weren't directly related to you. Which in turn meant that you got to be raised around a lot of "cousins" even if you didn't have any siblings. It was cool to see them so wide-eyed about your own life.

You decide to stop reminiscing before you get too distracted to follow the excitable child. Thanking Toriel, you take off your heavy overcoat and hang it over your now unoccupied stool before Frisk grabs your hand again to lead you to the ballroom. Emmett will follow along soon enough, even if you can feel his absence in your pocket. He's had even more crowded situations to sneak around in. He'll be fine. 

In the meantime, you try to memorize the way Frisk is leading you so that you can get back to your coat and duffel bag later. A few seconds later you quickly come to the realization that memorizing the path was stupid because the kitchen isn't too far away from the ballroom. Thank god no one can read your thoughts. Muffled voices come from behind the room's closed doors, which Frisk pushes open dramatically. 

You're not really sure what you expected to see, but this definitely wasn't it. In the middle of the ballroom is a huge, heavily decorated Christmas tree without any presents underneath it. Those and a star on top are all that's missing to look like everything else you've seen about Christmas trees. The tables in the ballroom have been arranged so that there's lots of room surrounding the tree; plenty enough space for future gifts AND dancing if anyone wanted. You can see a stage with electronic equipment being set up on it from where you're standing. That's probably where the DJ is going to be, though it looks like no one is there at the moment. It doesn't look like anyone's put much of an effort into decorating anything other than the tree: there's nothing hung on the walls and no centerpieces on any of the round tables. 

Oh and there's a tall skeleton in a weird uniform and a one-eyed fish lady yelling at each other in front of the tree. With a much smaller yellow lizard in a cute poinsettia patterned dress looking nervously between the two of them. And skeleton in a hoodie and shorts and sneakers grinning in their general direction (even though you're fairly certain that skeletons couldn't frown even if they wanted to). At your entrance, the smaller skeleton and the lizard lady (or at least you assume that she's female from her outfit) turn to face you and Frisk. She waves, he nods in your direction. The other two are being too loud to pay any attention to the door. Their words are entirely understandable despite the distance.

"COME ON PAPYRUS I'M NOT GONNA MISS THIS TIME!" The fish lady points up to the top of the tree. "BESIDES, WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE THE TREE TOP BARE LIKE THIS, THAT'S STUPID!" 

"WHILE THIS IS TRUE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DO NOT THINK THAT THE HUMANS WOULD APPRECIATE HAVING TO FIX A CRACK IN THE CEILING AGAIN THIS YEAR." The tall skeleton turns away from her and poses with his eyes closed, his cape flowing dramatically…even though there isn't any wind in here. You suspect it must be some sort of magic even if you can't feel it from where you are. Frisk is busy tugging you closer to the noise while you're trying to figure that one out. "AS MONSTER REPRESENTATIVE TO THE HUMANS, IT IS MY DUTY TO NOT CAUSE THEM ANY MORE PROBLEMS THAN WHAT ALREADY OCCURS TO THEM! THEREFORE!" He gives the fish lady a side glance…some…how…you really need to stop thinking too hard about this. "WE SHOULD TRY SOMETHING LESS DAMAGING TO THE ROOM."

"DAMAGING?!" She laughs, showing her large, sharp teeth. There's that heavy feeling in the pit of your stomach again. "BUT IT'D BE LESS FUN!" Before they can continue yelling at each other, Frisk claps their hands together a couple of times to get their attention. Finally, the two turn their heads to face you and the kid. You're definitely not ready for the sudden scrutiny of four monsters all at once, but Frisk gets their notebook out of their pocket and opens it to a pre-written page (more like two pages, the letters are large so that everyone can read it without any problems) for all to see.

 _Guys this is my human friend I told you about._ You give a little wave to everyone, and introduce yourself. Your other hand automatically goes to the outside of your pocket, and the fact that it's empty leaves you feeling a lot more vulnerable than you'd like. That emotion quickly gets buried under the feel of a hard and solid pressure all around you, even though your previously waving hand is the only one being grasped. It's an unexpected but not unpleasant feeling. Like a hug from someone you haven't met before. The tall skeleton beams down at you as he shakes your hand enthusiastically. His grip is firm, but not hard enough to hurt.

"GREETINGS, HUMAN," It seems like his volume doesn't ever get below yelling levels. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS HOPE THAT YOU DID NOT RUN INTO ANY PROBLEMS GETTING HERE. EVEN SOMEONE AS WONDERFUL AS I KNOWS THE DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVELLING THROUGH SNOW. EVEN IF MY EXPERIENCE WITH IT ON THE SURFACE IS STILL SOMEWHAT LIMITED." You wonder if he's going to shake your arm off at this rate, but you just smile awkwardly and look to Frisk for help. They're grinning about as widely as the shorter skeleton, who finally decides to speak. 

"hey bro, i don't think you've introduced yourself properly yet. is that anyway to greet a new pal?" You stare at the small skeleton. You've heard Papyrus' name at least three times already, what the hell is he doing? He gives you a wink and you could swear that his grin became wider. Frisk is beside themself with giggling. You can't tell what the other two monsters are doing at the moment, but at least the fish lady is quiet for whatever reason. Papyrus has already given a dramatic gasp and releases your poor hand, though.

"I APOLOGIZE, HUMAN, I HAVE BEEN QUITE RUDE." He poses dramatically, pointing to nothing in particular with his other hand on his hip…bone. "ALTHOUGH I CANNOT FATHOM HOW YOU COULD NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT ME, I FORGIVE YOU FOR YOUR IGNORANCE. AFTER ALL I, THE GREAT AND HANDSOME PAPYRUS AM ALSO QUITE HUMBLE." You can see why the fish lady is being so quiet now: she's sneaking up behind Papyrus with a toothy grin spread across her face. "IN FACT, I HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO HELP DECORATE THE ENTIRE HOTEL FOR THE HUMAN HOLIDAY OF CHRISTMAS EVEN THOUGH HER MAJESTY HAS INSISTED THAT THE DECORATIONS AND PUZZLES STAY WITHIN THE BALLROOM THIS YEAR." Wait, puzzles? Before you can ask what he means by that, the lady has grabbed Papyrus from behind with both arms. The skeleton looks down in a panic. "OH NO! NOT THE SHUT UP SUPLEX!"

"HECK YEAH THE SHUT UP SUPLEX!" In one swift motion, the fish lady lifts up Papyrus and slams him into the ground behind her. You can't help but wonder how strong she is, considering how much taller the skeleton is than her. You stop wondering as soon as she grips your hand hard enough for you to worry about her breaking it. Her magic feels like you're being jabbed at by something sharp from every possible angle up and down your arm, which doesn't help matters. "Don't worry about him, he would've been at his intro all frickin' DAY!" She grins widely, giving you the time to focus on all of her sharp, uneven teeth. "Name's Undyne! Frisk said you were into some NERD crap, and BOY do you look it!" You're pretty sure that you look like you're about to cry from how hard she's gripping your hand. 

"H-hey! I thought you liked n-nerd stuff." The lizard lady protests, but in a teasing way. Thankfully this is enough for Undyne to release your battered limb from her grasp and instead hold onto the other monster's outstretched hand. You can't help but notice how gentle she is with who you now understand to be her girlfriend. At this rate you feel like you need a checklist of all of the important people in Frisk's life. That way you can check off who you've met so far. Glancing over at the skeleton in the hoodie, you wonder if he is one of the dads that Frisk described, or the other uncle you have yet to meet. 

"I like SOME nerdy crap. And nerdy people." Undyne leans in and gives her girlfriend a kiss, making the other blush profusely. A moment too late you realize that a child probably shouldn't be watching their "aunts" kiss. You turn your head to find that the skeleton was a couple of steps ahead of you. Frisk struggles to see from their blindfold of finger and hand bones. He gives you a thumbs up with his unoccupied hand and you nod back. 

You clear your throat before they start making out in front of the child. And you. "Uh, I didn't catch YOUR name…?" You try to make it as obvious as you can that you're talking about the lizard lady. Undyne gives you a glare (which she can only do because her one eye is facing you) but reluctantly parts from her girlfriend. It takes the lizard a moment to get back down to Earth, and even longer for her to sputter out her own introduction. 

"A-a-alphys. That's my name, ehehe. N-nice to meet you." She takes the uninjured hand that you reach out with. Her grip is weak and slick with sweat, but it's enough contact for you to feel her magic. The sensation is electric, though more like a current instead of static. You hope that the magic doesn't actually make your hair rise. She lets go of your hand first, much to your own relief. "Frisk's t-told us a bit about you, b-but there's stuff I'd like to go over with you later that they c-couldn't explain well." You relax a little. She must be talking about Jewish things that you've told Frisk. 

"Later sounds good. There's still a lot to set up, after all." Alphys chuckles nervously and looks away from you. Undyne has already gotten bored and has stomped over to where Papyrus has gotten up, presumably to yell at each other about what to do to put on the tree topper. Alphys watches them anxiously, unwilling or unable to continue a conversation with you. That's fine. You'll talk later, maybe.

Finally you get a chance to talk to the small skeleton. You turn to face him with your hand out to grasp his own. By now Frisk has been freed from their bony prison and eyes the two of you expectantly. "Vielen dank for the save earlier." You immediately regret thanking him when you wrap your hand around his and a loud fart sound lets loose. Frisk practically dies of laughter and the skeleton's goofy grin once again widens. Your face heats up, though you find yourself laughing despite yourself. He got you pretty good, you have to admit.

"the old whoopie cushion in the hand trick. it's always funny." He chuckles, letting go of your hand to show off the offending piece of plastic. 

You can't help yourself, you have to respond in kind. "Well yeah, it works as an icebreaker AND a wind breaker." The effect is almost instant. Frisk groans, but has a grin on their face. The skeleton starts laughing harder. Behind you, Alphys mutters an 'oh my god' and you don't have to look to tell that she's got her hand over her face. Papyrus's voice cuts through the laughter.

"SANS! DO NOT TELL ME YOU HAVE ALREADY CORRUPTED THE HUMAN WITH YOUR AWFUL JOKES!" So that's his name. You weren't sure what you were expecting.

"don't blame me, bro, i didn't patella it this time." Sans winks at his brother. Papyrus groans and goes back to talking to Undyne. The lights in the skeleton's eye sockets go back to you. "so you know my name now. which is great, because i don't have to do anything." You feel like you're missing some context here, but Frisk seems to get it because they sign something at him that he nods at. "yep, doing nothing's still my favorite thing." 

So that's why Sans didn't help you more earlier. You decide to comment on the more obvious conclusion. "Which is why you're not helping Undyne and Papyrus put the star on the tree." He winks at you, confirming your suspicion. 

Frisk grabs your wrist to drag you over to the star. You're somewhat thankful that you have this chance to get a good look at it before Papyrus and Undyne put it on top of the tree. The star itself is fairly standard and simple, but the design on either side of it is not something you've seen on Christmas related things. It's an orb between two outstretched wings, with three triangles underneath. The middle triangle is upside down and lower than the other two. It seems oddly familiar to you. 

"Looks pretty good to me, Frisk." You carefully pick it up to get a closer look at the design. "Though I don't really have a lot of experience with Christmas trees and stuff related to that. Heck, I've never put a star on a tree in my life!" There's a sharp jab to your spine. The stabbing gets more frequent and intense as you feel Undyne get closer to you. Papyrus is with her, which you can tell because in addition to getting stabbed at with her magic presence you can also feel the enclosing pressure of his own magic. You gulp.

"Never put a star on a tree, huh?" You can FEEL her wide, toothy grin from her voice. "GUESS WE'LL HAVE TO FIX THAT! PAPYRUS!" Mittened hands grab you from underneath your armpits and you're lifted into a sitting position on Papyrus' shoulders. The skeleton holds onto your legs as he in turn is ALSO lifted up. You look down to find that Undyne has Papyrus standing on her shoulders. 

"DO NOT WORRY, HUMAN, WE WILL ALLOW YOU TO PLACE THE STAR ON THE TREE VERY SAFELY."

Gott in himmel what have you gotten yourself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Translation notes:**
> 
> Vielen dank: Many thanks  
> Gott in himmel: God in heaven  
> Yiddish has some similarities to German fyi
> 
> **Additional notes:**
> 
> What, you can't expect me to throw around a ton of Yiddish and Hebrew words and phrases EVERY chapter. :P Also this got to be a lot longer than what I was expecting so I'm cutting it off here.


	4. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader really needs to learn how to keep their mouth shut, but has their first encounter with monster magic on themself. Oh and Flowey shows his face.

Well at least you held onto the star as you were lifted up into the air. With the combined height of Undyne, Papyrus, and you sitting on his shoulders, you can just barely reach the top of the tree. Or you could if the living tower had started closer to the tree itself. You thank God that heights aren't one of the things you're scared of. A quick afterthought prompts you to send some silent prayers to Him, though. Just in case. 

You look down in order to shout at Undyne. Hopefully having no ears means that Papyrus can handle someone yelling right next to his head without any problems. "Uh, I hope you're not expecting me to reach the top from HERE. My arms aren't long enough."

"QUIT WHINING, MATCHSTICK." Matchstick? Where'd she come up with that? "JUST 'CAUSE YOU'RE ITCHING TO PUT THE STAR ON TOP DOESN'T MEAN WE WANNA TIP OVER THE TREE TO DO IT." 

That doesn't sound like her. From what little time you've spent around her, that is. "…I didn't know you cared?" Papyrus' voice at least isn't TOO grating as he speaks up. You jump a little, anyway.

"BUT OF COURSE, HUMAN! ALL OF US HAVE MADE CERTAIN THAT THE TREE WAS DECORATED PERFECTLY!" Undyne blows a raspberry. How can all of the sounds she makes be so LOUD all the time?

"YEAH RIGHT, WE JUST DIDN'T WANNA FRICKIN' PUT THEM ALL ON ALL OVER AGAIN." You watch as she takes a step towards the tree. She's surprisingly steady: you and Papyrus only sway a little. The top is still just out of your reach. 

"A little closer!" You wish you could see Frisk's face right now. You're not sure if you want them to be more excited or scared for you. This last step leaves you in the prime position to place the star on top. Or at least, you're as close as you're going to get. Undyne can't move any closer to the tree.

"NOW SLAM IT ON THERE, MATCHSTICK." It takes everything you have not to roll your eyes at her. You carefully shift the star from one hand to the other to wipe your hands on your pants. Your palms have been getting sweaty from gripping onto the star as hard as you have been. Undyne lets loose a groan while you take your time to stretch as far as you can to fit the conical bottom to the tree's top. "YOU'RE SO _SLOW,_ YOU'RE AS BAD AS FRISK!" You're a bit too busy thanking god that Papyrus' grip is a lot stronger than you were expecting to respond to her. His balance isn't all that bad either. Heights you're fine with, but if you fell then Emmett would HAVE to save you. You'd really rather not have to explain _him_ on top of your awkward first impression. As soon as the star is securely in place, you tell God that you'll come up with a proper thanks for Him later.

"WHAT IS THAT YOU ARE MUTTERING, HUMAN?" Whoops. You hadn't meant to talk to God loud enough for anyone to hear.

"Uh, I was, j-just wondering…" You take another look at the ground, far below. "…how I'm supposed to get down." 

"THAT, IS ACTUALLY A VALID QUESTION. UNDYNE!" Papyrus looks down at his feet. "HOW IS THE HUMAN GOING TO GET DOWN?"

The "tower" wobbles a little with her laughter. "I DUNNO! WE'LL THINK OF SOMETHING!" Oh great. Of course Undyne didn't think about anything beyond you getting the star on the tree. "NORMALLY I'D JUST MAKE PAPYRUS DO A BACKFLIP, BUT I DON'T THINK YOU CAN." She laughs again. "YOU'RE SO WIMPY, YOU'D PROBABLY BELLY FLOP ONTO A TABLE." 

You give a huff. No you CAN'T do a backflip, but that doesn't mean you're just going to take that sitting down…Okay, you're currently sitting down. Your point still stands. "Says the fishbrain that came UP with the living tower idea in the first place!" Papyrus gasps dramatically. You can't hear anyone else or see their expressions but Frisk's tiny form is frantically doing something with their arms. As good as it felt to say that, you're immediately filled with regret. You're too far away to feel Undyne's magical presence but you're damn certain that she'd literally be glaring daggers at you if Papyrus wasn't in the way.

"SO THAT'S HOW YOU WANNA PLAY IT, PUNK?" The tower drops a couple of feet. You wobble dangerously in your seat. What is she DOING? Papyrus tries to protest, only to get drowned out by Undyne's volume. "THEN. LET'S. PLAY." All of a sudden you're flying up towards the ceiling far above the Christmas tree. Papyrus must have either landed or is landing before you do. You can't see what or where because your face is currently upwards. Just when you think you're about to hit the plaster, you start to fall. 

Welp. You just had to go and do that. At least you think fast enough to bark out "DON'T YOU DARE GROW" in Yiddish as you plunge downward. Even if you don't know where Emmett is, he most certainly is in the room and just about to run to catch you. Maybe if you can concentrate fast enough, you can save yourself. Even though you've never done that with your magic before. And on such short notice. You try to push aside your mounting panic as you can feel the ground gets closer and closer.

Before you can attempt anything, a hard tugging sensation comes from your chest. The force is enough to arch your back and pull what looks like a heart from your torso. You can feel warmth coming off of it. Is that…your SOUL? You're stunned enough to miss what color it is before it changes to a dark blue. The speed of your decent slows significantly. Instead of falling, you're now floating to the ground. The magic that's changed the color of your soul engulfs you with how solid it feels. So wait, that must mean--

You twist yourself to look down. There's Papyrus with his arms out to catch you, his hands glowing with a color combination of blue and orange. Huh. You'd heard the stories about how monster magic can directly affect one's soul, but you hadn't thought that they could hold a degree of control over it. You need to think of a way to ask all the questions that are currently running through your head without sounding like you have any experience with magic. In the meantime you've reached the monsters without a scratch on you. As soon as you're in a much safer range, Papyrus lets go of the magic he was using and gravity does the rest of the work. You land in his bony arms, catching a glimpse of your soul before it goes back inside you. It's a bright orange, just like what your family described whenever you used magic around them. Well that's one good thing out of all of this.

Before you can relax for too long, you get a face full of angry fish lady. You yelp and scramble to get Papyrus between you and Undyne as much as humanly (monsterly?) possible. This doesn't end up going as well as you "planned": you're so used to Emmett's soft but solid bulk that you misjudge how thin and light the skeleton actually is. You both end up falling over from your unexpected movements. So much for getting down unscathed, ow. You land on your side, with Papyrus on his back (spine?) on top of you. The room is spinning a little, but you can hear Frisk doubling over with their giggle fit. Undyne gives a snort, grinning. You can only hope that means she won't kill you for a while yet. 

"HUMAN," Papyrus sits up off of you and shakes his head. "WHILE I APPRECIATE THAT YOU HAVE SUCH FAITH IN MY PROTECTING SKILLS DESPITE HAVING ONLY JUST MET ME, I WOULD HUMBLY REQUEST THAT YOU DO NOT TRY TO CLIMB OVER ME AGAIN WITHOUT ANY WARNING." You sit up yourself, blinking multiple times to stop everything else from moving. 

"Ikh farshteyn." You have enough time to catch the all-too-familiar 'what was that you said?' expression on the faces of everyone around you before the doors to the ballroom slam open. Pink smoke and glitter wafts inside. Apparently someone occupied the DJ's booth during all of your antics because music starts to play. Very very familiar music. You scramble to your feet to try to see the new arrival. 

"I hear the party isn't NEARLY fabulous enough yet. Let's change that, shall we~?" A pink high heeled leg steps out of the smoke to accompany the smooth metallic voice coming from the hall. You would be wondering if being loud was just a monster thing, but you're too busy staring in awe at the figure. It's Mettaton in all his pink and black and chrome glory. He strides over to your group with his arms wide open and a wide grin on his face. "OH, my darlings it's been AGES." You knew he was a monster AND a celebrity but...seeing him in person is way, way different than seeing him on TV. Papyrus leaps to his feet to greet Mettaton before anyone else. It's taking everything you have not to join him. Thankfully Emmett's familiar weight climbing up your leg stops you before you can act on your fan impulses, though you definitely jump when he first hops on. Relief washes over you. NOW you can start to really enjoy yourself.

~~~~~~

Flowey the flower had been getting really bored before Frisk showed up with the older human. There's only so much fun to be had from staring at a wall or watching people decorate. At least the other human was new.

Despite being the child's professed best friend, everyone else still kept a wary eye (or eyesocket) on him. That was fine by him. The flower liked that he was still feared in small ways, even if he didn't actively terrify anyone anymore. That left him fewer things to do from the flower pot that he had been transplanted into, though. Mostly he made faces or gave biting snark to those that passed him by. Today, Flowey had been exiled to the far end of the ballroom while everyone else was setting up for the party. Take ONE bite out of a freshly baked pie and this is what it gets you…

At least NOW he could be entertained. He delighted in watching Frisk's friend awkwardly introduce themself (the flower hadn't paid any attention to Frisk when they talked about the adult; he wished he'd known about how hilariously awkward they were earlier). If he hadn't been on the far side of the room, Flowey was certain everyone could've heard his cackling up until the older human showed Sans' caliber of humor (it could only be that from the reactions of everyone involved). At least the fun didn't stop for long, thanks to Undyne and Papyrus. Even if those two together were predictable, combine their energy with someone not used to it? The end result was absolutely comical.

It was when Undyne had tossed the skeleton and the human into the air that he'd felt it. A static charge that thrilled through his petals and stem. Flowey gave a start. That had been a pulse of magic. _But it wasn't any magic he recognized._ The soulless flower had fought every single monster in the underground through hundreds of resets. This was NEW. Looking around frantically, he spotted the source easily enough. It looked like one of those toys you can find in the dump in the Underground. The kind with a wide body, small legs and giant hands to "smash" things with. Only, it was standing on its own and its face was a lot more lumpy and large than any plastic toy the flower had ever seen. It also had something written on its forehead that Flowey couldn't make out.

There it was again. The unfamiliar magic manifested as purple cracks all over the "toy." The flower's face shifted into something very close to a genuinely surprised expression as he watched the figure start to grow larger. One moment it was the size of a toy, the next it had already doubled in size and kept getting bigger. It started moving towards the chaos when strange but insistent words echoed to this end of the ballroom. The figure stopped where it was. Flowey was reminded of some of those cartoons that he'd seen with Frisk: the old ones where a robot froze in place the minute its power was turned off. Frustratingly, he couldn't see if it could change its facial expressions at what was happening with the adult human. Although the fact that it shrank back to the size it had been when Flowey first had noticed it confirmed that it had been reacting to what the human was going through.

He rubbed his leaves against his face as the "toy" quickly sought what was clearly its owner. The flower grinned to himself. This party was going to be a LOT more interesting than he'd hoped...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Translation Notes**  
>  Ikh farshteyn (eek farsh-tain) ~~(close enough)~~ : I understand
> 
> **Additional Notes:**  
>  Just in case you didn't realize I was a giant dork yet, I do love me some alliteration. Sorry about Mettaton having only a brief appearance in this chapter. He'll hog the spotlight soon, don't worry. ~~I'm also sorry about how long it's taking to even GET to the party. I wanna give Reader time to react to everyone before they realize they're trapped with everyone.~~
> 
> Also let me know what you guys think about the format for focusing on other characters. There might be more in the future. ~~Of course I was gonna have Flowey in this. :P Who'd pass up the opportunity for two soulless beings to interact with each other.~~
> 
> Also just so you're all aware, I don't respond to comments because I always get so flustered and happy that I don't know what to write. Rest assured I read every comment and it makes my day to see another kudos or hit to the counter. It's just great that you guys are are even interested in reading my silly little story omg. Thanks everyone so much for reading this. :D


	5. Presence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last of the major introductions with some shitty puns and magic and anxiety oh my. Also Reader continues to make foolish decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap I'm so sorry about how long this took. This chapter just did NOT want to be written I swear. 
> 
>   ~~Although part of that might be that I've been writing about things that happen LATER and this being an in between chapter just made my brain go NOPE for way too long.~~
> 
> Anyway, on with the Mettaton. I mean chapter.

With everyone's attention on Mettaton, you take the time to straighten up your outfit and get Emmett into your jacket pocket. You had been starting to feel pretty overdressed in your shul clothing, but now you almost wish you'd dressed up even more. Just because Mettaton didn't always wear clothing doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate good dress sense after all. Not that you're really one to talk about fashion. After all, you came here wearing your nice black slacks with a red button up, long sleeved shirt. The shirt has a simple loopy design embroidered in white where the buttons are, which you thought looked sort of festive (for a holiday you don't celebrate). Over the shirt is a black suit jacket, a staple to any clothing you decide to wear to services. It goes with anything and the pockets are big enough that Emmett doesn't need to shrink too small to fit in comfortably. All in all, this took you maybe fifteen minutes to put together before you left your apartment.

You're off on another mental tangent. Mettaton won't notice how simple your outfit is...right? Shoving aside your doubts, your mind races with what you want to say to your favorite monster celebrity. Of course you always fantasized about meeting him, but it's way different than him ACTUALLY being here in the flesh--er, chrome. A grin is plastered on your face as you come up with the perfect greeting and take a couple of steps forward to officially meet Mettaton.

At least that's what you try to do. Once you get close enough to actually speak to the celebrity, your words dry up in your throat and you forget everything that you were going to say. _"You're really good at this meeting new people thing. You should try it more often."_ A sarcastic voice in your head helpfully points out. You're now reminded that you need to call a certain cousin later. Reality also reminds you that you now have Mettaton's attention but you haven't said a word yet. It seems like he's used to fans becoming speechless because much sooner than you were expecting he smiles and talks first. 

"Oh you must be the friend Frisk said they were going to invite. I heard you're a BIG fan." You manage to nod, ignoring the rising heat in your face. He holds a hand out to you. "A pleasure, darling~" It takes everything you have not to let out a squeal of delight. You take Mettaton's hand and--

You aren't sure what you expected to feel before you touched him. Obviously everything monster related has SOMETHING with magic, but...perhaps you were expecting to feel Alphys' magic? She did make him, after all. But this magic is different from hers. Too different. Instead of a steady electrical charge you can feel small but intense bursts of magic popping along your arm, like little fireworks. You _intimately_ know that the magic of a creation feels very similar to that of the creator. Your mind's reeling over what this magic could mean. You wish you could speak to Alphys directly about Mettaton's creation. And not to try to get a peek at his blueprints, for now.

Luckily Frisk already established that you're a fan. Your distant gaze in the vague direction of Mettaton's face would probably have been commented on, otherwise. In the meantime, he's taken his hand away from you and is facing the crowd of monsters that barged in with him. Which of course you hadn't noticed at first because the robot commands everyone's attention. Especially yours. Which you've been teased about from multiple sources. You feel a tug on your pants and you look down at one of those sources. Frisk holds up their notebook with a wide grin.

 _He's even better looking in real life, isn't he?_ You groan and cover your face with a hand. 

"I shouldn't have told you about my celebrity crush on him." Well. It was less 'told' and more 'accidentally made it obvious that you were obsessed with everything related to Mettaton.' Same difference when you had this kid prying into your life. You've concluded (over _entirely_ too many texts with Frisk on the subject) that you don't necessarily want to date him, though you wouldn't say no if he asked (of course you would faint if he DID, but that's neither here nor there). No, you just want to know everything about him. And buy most of his brand. And memorize his all-too-catchy songs. "Gott zol ofitin I tell you about any other crushes." They giggle with less intensity than you expect and you hear them write something. You remove your hand long enough to see what else they've written.

 _Are you okay? It wasn't as big a fall as it COULD have been, but..._ Well at least Frisk has their priorities straight. You smile at them.

"I'm fine. I don't think I got a bruise." Frisk sighs in relief. "Though I'm preeetty sure Undyne's going to try to beat me up later." 

_You just need to be good at dodging and facing attacks head on. And don't try to challenge her, unless it's to be friends with you._ You give Frisk a look that you hope conveys all of the questions and concerns you currently have. _Trust me._ This gets underlined twice, paired with a serious expression. Before you can ask for them to clarify, Mettaton's voice interrupts you. 

"Oh THERE he is! Over here, darling, the public misses you so!" You try to see who Mettaton's addressing, but your view is blocked by the crowd of monsters. Sheesh, monsters can be _really_ tall. Frisk gets your attention again and gestures at your back with grabbing hands. While you're not used to being around kids for long periods of time, you have young enough cousins to know what THAT means. You kneel down and wait for them to climb onto your shoulders. With a little bit of cheating (very little; so little you're almost certain that none of the monsters can sense you using magic) you manage to stand up without too much trouble. You're not sure how long you can keep Frisk up there, though.

As it turns out, Frisk spots what they're looking for almost immediately. They clamber down your back as quicker than they went up and grab your hand as they go. Once again you are dragged along to see what the kid wants you to see. You've been trying to mentally update your "Frisk's Family" checklist but Mettaton's presence has made a mess of your mindscape. Okay it's MORE of a mess than usual. Just when you grasp a moment of time to try to pull yourself together, your train of thought crashes once again. 

Asgore Dreemurr, former king of the monsters and head adviser to the 12-year-old monster ambassador, is a hell of a lot taller than he looks on TV. And fluffier. How you missed his prominent horns when you were merely behind the crowd, you're not sure. This whole day thus far has been a very long lesson of needing to pay more attention to things. And the official party hasn't even started yet. The monsters that came in with Mettaton are clamoring for the ex-king's attention, which Asgore is more than willing to give. You try to spot what the monsters you've just met are doing. Papyrus seems to not know whether or not to look at the idol or the goat monster and is standing in a spot somewhere in between them. Undyne has her hands behind her head and is smiling softly while watching Asgore. You didn't know she was capable of that. Alphys is making her way to the stage where a monster that looks like a sheet ghost is floating near the equipment. And Sans is--

"funny, he's metta-TON of his fans but i don't think he's seen one so SHOCKED about being near him." You nearly jump out of your skin at the skeleton's voice coming from behind you. While you managed to not swear, everyone in the ballroom clearly heard your yelp. Your mom probably heard you from her house, you were that loud. What the hell, he was next to his brother just a MOMENT ago...right? Sans gives a low chuckle. "you're in the air so much i should start using bird puns around you. i'll need to robin another jokebook for that so i'll sparrow you for now." First matchstick and now bird. It'd be just your luck if the next nickname the monsters come up with is your embarrassing family one. Oh well. He got you good, again. Maybe after the party you'll find a way to get him back. You give a small smile as your heartrate slows down.

"Just don't expect me to be en-raptored. Not all of those jokes are gonna fly." Two can play the shitty pun game, though. Oh hey that's a good one. "Owl admit you're pretty good, but toucan play at that game." You both crack up. Wait. Wasn't Frisk close enough to even groan just a minute ago? A deep laugh suddenly comes from behind you.

"I just got the joke. That is very clever." You turn around and look up. And up. God, Asgore is tall. Frisk waves from their perch on top of the goat monster's shoulder. "Forgive me for not greeting you sooner, but the monsters tend to be very enthusiastic about seeing me. Howdy! I'm Asgore." He holds out a large fluffy hand(paw?) to you. "And you must be Frisk's human friend." A nagging thought tries to get your attention but you shove it aside. Social interaction takes priority at the moment, and you're hesitating to take his hand.

There's a part of you that's worried about what his magic's going to feel like when you touch him. If Asgore's magic is anything like Toriel's, then even a momentary touch probably will go through your entire body. The other parts of yourself are telling you that you're going to be rude and suspicious if you don't shake his hand right now. Well, you only live once, as the old meme goes. It doesn't seem like any of the monsters have noticed your magic yet. So long as you can avoid blatantly cheating around them, you can probably skirt through the party just fine. And then you can go home and freak out properly. Followed by...you're not really in a good position to figure out what the next step is. The situation is too complex to think about right now. You smile as politely as you can while introducing yourself and you extend your hand to meet Asgore's. You try to brace yourself for anything...

...but it was no use. You feel like you're standing outside underneath a summer sky at noon. Wearing a bathing suit. At first the feeling isn't too unpleasant, and you are able to make small talk with the ex-king fairly easily. After you two have stopped shaking hands, however, the feeling doesn't go away. Much like in an actual summer, the desire to run and find shade nags at you even as you chatter on. Most of the other members of Frisk's family joins the three of you, wanting to learn about what you do and how you met Frisk. Their magic can be felt, but all of it is utterly drowned under the power that Asgore commands. Or maybe it's just that he's so very, genuinely happy to be here. You're vaguely reminded about a news story about monsters and how they express themselves through magic. Asking about that factoid won't really help your situation unless you can find a way to not implicate yourself, sadly.

You find you can't take it anymore in the middle of Frisk signing enthusiastically about something. No matter how hard you try to convince your brain that the heat you're feeling isn't real, sweat is beading on the back of your neck and under your armpits. The conversation isn't in a good place for you to excuse yourself, though: the question about plans for the break came up and Frisk is telling everyone all about it. Those who can understand, that is. You can't help but wonder if this is what it's like for people that have to wait for you to stop chatting with your family in Yiddish for them to understand you. A quick glance around you tells you that everyone's eyes (and eyesockets) are on Frisk right now. You're very, very tempted to implement your usual method of dealing with summer: using magic to make the inside of your clothes feel cooler than your surroundings. It's a trick you taught yourself that only a few of your magic-using cousins have been able to replicate. None of them can match how quick you can cast the "spell", though.

...you know, maybe you can pull it off without any monster noticing you. Asgore's presence will probably "muffle" your magic even more than it does for the others. You don't have nearly as much magic as anyone around you. Also, none of them should know what a human's magic feels like, right? Maybe they won't comment if they notice something weird. And if everything goes wrong you could always hide in the bathroom. And/or attempt to go home. The windows might not be made to be breakable, but you've got a golem that can punch things and--you force yourself to stop that thought process. You try to have some faith in yourself for once as you concentrate. It takes about 10 seconds of concentration for you to feel relief from the oppressive "heat" of Asgore's magic. You notice him blinking in your direction at 11 seconds.

Thank god it was time for the food to arrive. You quickly excuse yourself to wash your hands (which a strange monster that looks a bit like a living bucket with a bird tweeting on its back nods in approval to). As soon as you lock yourself in the bathroom, you order Emmett to grow. Once he's significantly taller than you, you start to bang your head against his chest repeatedly. You're so, utterly dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Translation Notes:**
> 
> Shul (Shool): Really means school, but is used to refer to synagogue in average conversation.  
> Synagogue (sin-ah-gog): Jewish Temple, where Jews go to pray to God a bit more directly (Just in case someone doesn't know)  
> Gott zol ofiten (Pretty much said as it's spelled here): God forbid.  
>  **Additional Notes:**
> 
> I was this close to writing in an anti-climax to this chapter. THIS close. 
> 
> Also I need, to stop posting these chapters at 2 in the morning but apparently this is when I work best. Or something.


End file.
